


Maybe in Another Universe

by thegreatamster



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 08:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3242396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegreatamster/pseuds/thegreatamster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach and Frankie agree that they were destined to meet. In another universe, Zach and Frankie are still inextricably linked even if Frankie didn't want to leave his social media kingdom or put all his influences in the big brother boat and Zach got food poisoning the day of the casting call.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe in Another Universe

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is fiction. I do not pretend to know these people at all. RPF has a nice hint of creepiness to it, so please don’t ever link this to any of the real people involved. Or to their relatives or friends or families or managers or dogs. Thanks!
> 
> This was originally posted on tumblr on 12/11/2014

Zach is skateboarding to work. He’s irritated and sweaty and late. Tiger dug up his mom’s new potted plant on the patio and tracked dirt through the house and it’s too hot for June.

Frankie is driving through the streets of Palm Beach Gardens because Nonna has sent him to find a specific weight of yarn in a specific color and Palm Beach Gardens is the closest he can find it. He’s glad to be at Nonna’s beck and call but he wishes it was for happier reasons. Frankie is vining and driving when all of a sudden, there is a man on a skateboard right in front of him. As he hits the brakes, Frankie is absolutely sure that this is going to end with articles in every entertainment magazine about Ariana Grande’s brother being convicted of manslaughter.

The guy looks great to Frankie when he first sees him because he is not dead. He’s younger, kind of fratty, kind of douchey, and very attractive. Frankie frantically checks him over, pats his head down, brushes the dirt off of his skinned knees.

Zach wants to rip the guy a new asshole for nearly hitting him in a crosswalk but something inside of him just wont let him. Zach is too intrigued by the pink hair and the yellow car. He helps Zach up and when Zach sees his skateboard and imagines his head smashed underneath the tire in it’s place, Zach’s legs don’t feel too steady. When the man steadies Zach with a hand around his waist, Zach’s heart speeds up a bit, but he blames it on the delayed fear

They go to a nearby diner to exchange names and information and to make sure Zach is feeling okay. Frankie seems to charm the man behind the counter into giving him a pen, orders for both of them, and texts a mile a minute at the same time. Zach doubts he’s ever looked as graceful or as in control and this dude just hit someone with his car.

Zach makes a joke about how expensive his car looks and that he maybe should’ve claimed whiplash to get some money for pain and suffering. Frankie cracks back that he himself deserves some money because it’s really suffering to have to watch a grown man skateboard to work. Frankie is quick and funny and Zach is impressed. Frankie tucks his legs up into the booth and Zach is surprised to find that he can’t take his eyes off them.

Zach calls into work with attached pictures of his trashed skateboard and his skinned leg. They talk for an hour and even though neither of them are sure how it happens, Zach ends up going with Frankie to buy yarn. When the store is out despite what they had told Frankie on the phone, Frankie gets so upset that he cries. Zach is a little concerned about what kind of psychopath he has just befriended, but can’t shake off the feeling that this is a good dude. He rushes out of the store after him and ends up rubbing Frankie’s back from the passenger seat of the car. Frankie tells him that it was never about the yarn and that his grandfather is probably dying and that’s why he’s in town instead of in NYC where he lives. Zach tells him that at least the lack of practice explains the poor driving. He earns a watery laugh from Frankie.

Frankie talks about his grandfather and how close they are and how accepting he’s always been, especially with his coming out. Zach mostly listens but commiserates about how much he loves Peyton and how he loves Zach no matter what and how Zach would probably cry in yarn shops if Peyton was sick and tells Frankie not to worry about it.

When Frankie drops him off at his house, Zach isn’t sure why, but he lies to his mom and says his board hit a rock and Frankie stopped to make sure he was okay. He just doesn’t want her to think badly of him, you know?

Frankie texts him not too long after he drops Zach off and Zach is concerned for the other skateboarders out there because he knows Frankie hasn’t had enough time to get back to Boca where he said his family lives. They agree to meet up at Starbucks in a few days because Frankie wants to order Zach a replacement board. 

 

When the evening comes, Zach isn’t really sure why he spends so long getting ready and Frankie isn’t really sure why he’s taking time away from his grandfather when he could’ve had Zach send him an amazon link and a shipping address. When Frankie picks him up, Frankie puts the blame on Zach’s arms. They’re nice arms and an amazon link wouldn’t display them like Zach’s shirt does.

They bond about pledging for fraternities. They make fun of the barista together. They discuss their love for their much younger siblings. Zach laughs so hard at nearly everything Frankie says and Frankie nearly melts at how sweet Zach is when he talks about his brother. Zach doesn’t understand how they can talk for so long when they should have nothing in common but they end up staying an hour. 

There’s a park across the street from the Starbucks and there’s some sort of festival going on. Music is playing and people, mostly kids, are dancing. It’s twilight and Frankie’s skin is glowing in the light and the breeze is ruffling a few pieces of his pink hair that have loosened up. Frankie wants to dance and he grabs Zach’s hand to pull him along. Zach follows him. But only because Frankie drove him. Definitely only because of that.

Frankie does a spin and is tickled when Zach looks impressed because of it and praises him. Frankie mostly only dragged him over to attempt to embarrass him and Frankie falters when Zach doesn’t shy away and instead dances stupidly with Frankie. Zach explains that he says and does what he wants. Entertainment is what Frankie loves and Frankie kind of loves how he never knows what Zach is going to do or what is going to come out of his mouth. They move together well and Frankie tries not to think about other situations where Zach could move well with him. Not a smart path to take with a 24 year old frat bro who you nearly hit with your car. But Frankie doesn’t have a good track record so he doesn’t expect much from himself.

They choreograph a cute little dance and get a lot of laughs from the people around them. They sit and listen to a few other songs and talk about the music. Frankie doesn’t believe Zach when he starts detailing the variety in his CD collection. Frankie asks if his frat brothers know about his love of Taylor Swift and Zach tells him there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure.

Somehow they both decide that the obvious solution to the argument is to drive back to Zach’s house and show Frankie his CD collection. Frankie’s not sure why he’s agreeing to hang out at a 24 year old unemployed college graduate’s parents’ house. He blames it on his current emotional situation and his limited friends in Florida. And possibly Zach’s arms. And maybe his smile too.

Peyton is just as adorable as Zach had described him and he gets a really good laugh at the confused look on Zach’s mom’s face as she takes in his hair and shorts and wedge shoes and, you know, his entire being, while Zach introduces him as the cool dude who stopped to help him yesterday. Frankie got the feeling that he was not Zach’s normal type of friend but that definitely confirms it.

They look at music and joke around more. When Frankie makes a joke and snuggles up to Zach on his bed, Zach doesn’t move away. Instead he flirts back and cuddles into Frankie’s arms. Frankie is confused about why Zach does it, but not as confused as Zach is. Frankie figures he should just let himself enjoy the kindred soul he’s found in this weird time of his life. Zach just figures that Frankie is way better at cuddling than Tiger and still better than any of his conquests who have tried it with him.

 

They keep hanging out. It feels effortless to both of them and they have so much fun together that it’s a refreshing break from their lives. They’re both loud. They’re both a bit obnoxious. They both love attention. They’re both obsessed with their families. They’re both assholes on the surface and kind when it matters. They talk. Dance. Sing. Work out together. Touch constantly. Swim a bit with Peyton. Golf once. Go out with Zach’s friends once. Zach declines Frankie reciprocal offer. He’s says he’s not scared of going to a gay club. He’d just be out of place. They hang a lot at Zach’s house. Frankie says it’s because he needs to get away from his house and that he doesn’t want to disturb his Grandfather who’s all set up there, but really Frankie just doesn’t think it’s wise to let a man he hit with his car less than three weeks ago know that his sister is a rich, international pop star even if he does feel some weird connection with him.

A few of Zach’s friends make rude jokes about how gay Frankie is. Zach stops talking to them. He feels good. Peyton wants pink hair. His mom makes fun of how much he talks about Frankie and he tells her that he can’t help it. Frankie is the smartest, funniest person he’s ever met and he’s his new best friend. His mom makes fun of how Zach’s wardrobe looks more and more like Frankie’s every day with the bright shoes and all the tank tops. But his Mom never jokes when she walks in on them snuggled up or holding hands. She just avoids Zach’s eyes and uses his full name when she talks to him. Zach figures it’s just because she hasn’t really been around many gay people and it makes her nervous. But it doesn’t make Zach nervous. He loves that Frankie is gay. But Zach wishes Frankie wouldn’t pull away when she comes into the room. It makes him feel like he’s doing something wrong.

 

Frankie is sitting at home one day and realizes that he wants nothing other than to see Zach. But he doesn’t have the time to run down to Palm Beach Gardens. It’s the health people’s morning off and he’s the only one home so he’s kind of sitting with his Grandpa.

Somewhere between trying to find a time that works with both his schedule tomorrow and Zach’s work schedule that he has saved on his phone’s calendar (even though it’s memorized) and seeing a cute selfie of them on his phone’s home screen while glancing to see how much longer Zach is at work before he can FaceTime him, Frankie lets himself realize that he is fucked. And if he’s fucked already, he might as well be all in.

He fires off texts to his mom and Ari to check with them. He’s gets the go ahead. They’re more worried about his heart than Frankie getting sued at this point. He makes sure his Grandpa is okay if someone comes over and prays that Zach can manage to borrow a car.

Zach obviously finds a way to borrow a car to get to see Frankie’s house for the first time and Frankie leaves him with directions, instructions on how to get in the gate around the house, and a take out order he makes Zach pick up on the way.

When Zach arrives he is kind of blown away by the house. Zach knew Frankie’s family was kind of loaded but seeing it is different. Frankie makes him park by the garage and meets him through the open garage door. Zach hugs Frankie and lifts him off his feet a little. Zach likes the way Frankie squeals his name. Frankie guides him inside the door in the garage that empties into the kitchen. Zach expresses his disbelief over the house and Frankie promises to give him the tour after lunch. Frankie tells Zach there’s something they need to talk about after lunch and Zach’s pulse speeds up. Zach feels like he would if he girlfriend told him that they needed to talk. He is irrationally afraid that Frankie is going to say something like he’s moving back to NYC or that he has realized that Zach is an unemployed fuck up who lives with his parents and is no longer going to hang out with him.

When they get done eating, Frankie starts talking. He explains that he’s been keeping some things from Zach about who he really is because they’re not things that can be shared lightly. The first thing Zach thinks of is that Frankie’s family is in the Mafia. He’s rich, he has an Italian last name, lives part time in New York. Zach isn’t enough of an idiot to admit his guess before Frankie explains that he hasn’t been performing on Broadway in a few years and is actually pseudo famous and has a successful YouTube channel. 

Zach tells Frankie that he’s a piece of shit for not telling him and that he knew that Frankie was funny enough to be famous. Frankie laughs big but tells Zach that there’s more he has to tell him.

He takes Zach’s arm and pulls him out of the kitchen into a hallway. There’s a bunch of framed photos on the wall and Frankie pulls him up to one. It’s Frankie and what looks like his family. Zach smiles wide to Frankie and looks at his Nonna and his grandpa and his mom and sister. Frankie points them all out to him and saves his sister for last. He points at her and tells Zach it’s his sister Ari. Zach just says that yeah, he knows, and that she looks sweet. He smiles at Frankie, so glad to be allowed into Frankie’s home and family but Frankie is looking at him like he’s an idiot. 

Frankie asks if she looks familiar at all and Zach gives him a weird look. Zach thinks it through, and yeah, she does look familiar but he can’t put it together.

Frankie reiterates that he calls her Ari but her full name is Ariana. Zach is still clueless and thinks that he might be able to think more clearly if Frankie wasn’t standing so close or if his hand wasn’t resting on Zach’s lower back. 

Frankie scoots down the hall and points her out in another photograph. This one is older and Zach is momentarily distracted by how different Frankie looks but he looks at Ari right as Frankie tells Zach to think about what his last name is. And it clicks.

The first thing Zach can say is Sam and Cat. Frankie nods eagerly and encourages him on. Zach starts singing Problem and Frankie smiles wide and hugs him. They tour the house. Say hi to Grandpa. They talk. Frankie explains his reasoning for keeping the secret. Zach explains that he totally understands. Frankie brags on Ari for what seems like hours and he’s thrilled that Zach lets him. 

They pull up Frankie’s YouTube and Twitter. Zach looks at pictures and videos of Frankie with all sorts of celebrities and feels his insecurities double in size.

Frankie thinks he’s done the right thing when Zach is more concerned about finding things about himself online than finding out things about Ariana. Zach tells him that he doesn’t know any of her other songs but that he’s going to think she’s amazing because he’s biased because it’s his best friend’s sister.

 

The amount of time that Frankie spends on his phone suddenly makes a lot more sense to Zach. His palms get a little sweaty when he goes home that night and reads through Frankie’s twitter and reads all of the tweets from the past few weeks that never specifically cite him, but reference him nonetheless. 

Frankie makes him start using his twitter in the next few days and Zach gets hundreds of followers just because Frankie starts mentioning him in his tweets and posts a few pictures of him. 

Zach has been having dreams about Frankie for a while. But now all of a sudden he can’t push them to the back of his mind and ignore them. They resurface in the daylight now. There’s some where they do, uh, interesting things, but Frankie has a nice body and he cuddles Zach all the time so it’s easy for his brain to get confused, right? The other ones are even weirder. Like the ones where he’s holding Frankie’s hand while walking down the street or the one where he’s cooking in a kitchen with Frankie and he knows where all the stuff belongs in the cabinets even thought it’s not a kitchen he’s even been in.

He ignores the comments on twitter that ask him if he’s dating Frankie.

 

Frankie just tries really hard to concentrate on enjoying what he has with Zach in the present because his mind doesn’t really have time to evaluate the enigma that is Zachary Rance. Frankie also tries to ignore that he hasn’t been cruising clubs or using Grindr in Miami and tries to blame it on his mindset from his grandpa.

Zach gets to meet Ariana not too long after that because Grandpa gets worse. Zach seems kind of excited but he tells Frankie that he’s just glad that his sister is in town because he can tell that Frankie misses her because he talks about her all the time. Even before he knew the truth. Frankie believes him.

Ariana has been giving Frankie hell over text for their weird ass relationship for weeks. Frankie ignores her pointed look 10 minutes after meeting Zach for the first time when he’s pressed up close against Frankie at the kitchen counter, hand low on his back while Frankie chops vegetables.

 

One night, Zach ends up staying over and he sleeps in Frankie’s bed. He rubs Frankie’s back before they fall asleep and when they wake up, Zach is pretty close to him even though Frankie’s bed is big. But the weird thing is, it doesn’t really feel that weird since they cuddle enough anyway. What does feel weird is speaking with Frankie in the bathroom while he does his hair and makeup. Frankie is a very put together person and Zach feels kind of, honored maybe, to watch him turn into himself. Zach feels like he could watch him forever.

 

His family is at the dinner table when Zach gets the text. Grandpa Grande has passed away. Zach’s heart drops and he’s not really sure what to do. He racks his brain for a socially acceptable form of condolences and tells Frankie to let him know if he needs anything. Before he hits send on the text, he tacks on an I love you.

When his mom tells him to put his phone away at the table since they rarely get to eat dinner together, he tells her Frankie’s grandpa has passed away and that he needs a minute. He’s surprised at how sincere she looks when she says she’s sorry and tells him that it’s fine.

He’s crying before he gets to his bedroom and it really sucks. He’s only known Frankie for 4 weeks, but he can tell that Frankie doesn’t deserve this because Frankie puts out nothing but happiness and Zach can’t understand why he should get so much pain back.

His mom comes by later and checks on him. Tells him to use the car tomorrow if Frankie wants him over and says she can make some food to take them. She looks really worried for Zach and Zach gets this weird feeling that she knows more than he does. 

 

Zach doesn’t have to borrow the car because Frankie tells him he’s too busy the next day and then shows up unannounced at Zach’s door around 11:00 pm. Zach lets him in obviously. He looks kind of terrible if Zach is honest and Zach makes him sit down on the couch. Frankie explains that he’s exhausted because he feels like he has to be strong for his girls. Zach doesn’t really have much experience with this kind of thing but he knows that isn’t healthy. So he tells Frankie that he doesn’t have to act like that around him. 

Frankie cries and Zach’s heart breaks. He curls up and wraps himself across Zach and cries into his neck as Zach rubs his back and tries and fails to keep his own face from crumpling up while he wonders why this is affecting him so much. His mom starts to come down the stairs, probably because she heard the door, but she stops at the landing. Zach meets her eyes and she’s looking at him like he’s a problem to solve again. She just shoots Zach a look of sympathy and heads back upstairs.

Frankie gets his crying out and eventually lays on the couch with his feet in Zach’s lap to deal with his crying headache. When he falls asleep, Zach sneaks upstairs and speaks softly to his parent’s door to see if his mom is still up. 

She meets him in the hallway. He tells her Frankie is asleep and that he might stay because he’s not going to wake him. He doesn’t need to see her eyes in the dim hallway because he can hear the accusation in her voice when she asks him what he’s doing. Zach pretends that he doesn’t know what she’s talking about and she clarifies that she means with Frankie. Zach says that he’s his best friend whose grandfather just died. She doesn’t respond to that. Instead she waits a beat and asks Zach if he’s gay. Zach gulps and tells her no. She says he better be careful because Frankie might be in love with him. She tells him not to break his heart.

Zach goes back downstairs and replaces Frankie’s legs on his lap and looks at Frankie’s face while his mom’s words ring in his ears.

 

Zach has been trying to convince him to smoke with him all summer. Frankie knows that it probably isn’t healthy to finally agree to it less than a week after his grandfather’s passing. But he does anyway. Zach doesn’t say anything about it. Probably because Frankie knows all too well that he uses it for coping too.

They’re in Zach’s bedroom because his family is out and wind up on the bed. But the high version of Zach is laying less on the bed and more so on Frankie. Frankie’s a little disappointed because the point was to relax a bit. The way that Zach’s hand is tracing his hip bone underneath his shirt and the way the his lips keep brushing against Frankie’s neck while he speaks because he refuses to move his head out of the crook of Frankie’s neck is anything but relaxing.

Frankie’s not sure if Zach is usually this touch feely and everything is just intensified because of his high, or if Zach is more touchy feely because of his own high. He ignores it either way because he’s too gone to process and he’s having a good time nonetheless.

By the time that Zach rolls completely on top of him to reach his water on the side table, Frankie has almost decided it’s neither of the above and is actually a hallucination because Zach pauses pointedly on top of him and Frankie swears he feels something hard.

 

Frankie can’t stay in stasis forever. After all, death reminds everyone that life is short. Frankie manages to hold it in until it’s the next day and they’re completely sober. Frankie has asked the same questions several times over the past weeks but he’s always formed them in a joking manner and Zach always dodges his questions. They have lunch and Frankie stops him before he gets out of the car. 

It’s easy to see the fear in Zach’s eyes when Frankie says they need to talk. He doesn’t beat around the bush and bluntly asks if he’s gay. Zach blanches a bit and asks why Frankie would think that. Frankie explains that the way he acts makes him think that he might be interested in more. Zach responds by saying that Frankie is his best friend. Frankie replies that he knows that but that doesn’t mean that Zach isn’t attracted to him. Zach gets pissed and says that he can’t believe that Frankie would ask that and practically falls on his face trying to get out of the car so quickly.

Frankie expected it to go about that well so he isn’t too perturbed. But Frankie can’t help but notice that he still didn’t answer the question.

 

Zach spends the next few days mostly being pissed, although he’s not really sure at what. He’s not sure if he’s pissed at Frankie for ruining whatever they had going and asking questions that he can’t answer or his mom for telling him that Frankie might be in love with him and making him see a bunch of things that are probably all in his head because he’s an idiot or the florida rain from keeping him from golfing or the asshat customers at the restaurant for being asshats. He’s a dick to all of the above though, just in case.

He’s still responding to most of Frankie’s texts with one word answers and being thankful that Frankie has been busy with family commitments three days later when he sees a tweet reply during his morning social media stalking of Frankie. It’s something completely innocuous, Frankie replies to a New York friend with an agreement to hit some show when he gets back and Zach can actually feel the sweat bead up on his forehead.

He’s never been dumb, but he’s not really sure how he had forgotten that Frankie wasn’t planning on staying forever. He argues with himself, tries to uncover some repressed emotions and feelings, sighs, texts Frankie, and asks his mom for the car.

Nonna opens the door for him when he knocks. She hugs him tight and Zach isn’t sure he’s as good of a person as she thinks he is but he wishes he was. He’s going to try. He goes upstairs.

 

Frankie is sitting on his bed with a pile of clothes of his grandfather’s. He’s sorting and trying to figure out what he wants to keep where. Frankie looks up when Zach knocks on the door frame. He just walks towards Frankie with his hands in the pockets of his golf shorts. Frankie sighs, stands, and opens his arms. Frankie tries not to think about how much he’s been missing Zach’s hugs.

Frankie wordlessly pulls him down onto the bed, shoulder to shoulder. Frankie’s not planning on saying anything, but Zach takes his hand and Frankie feels that persistent string of hope tug at his heart.

Zach is so entertaining and genuine and Frankie kind of wants to take care of him for the rest of his life.

Frankie keeps his eyes on the ceiling and tells Zach that he’s kind of in love with him.

Zach responds with a questioning yeah and Frankie confirms with the same.

Frankie is almost pleased with the lack of negative reaction when Zach squeezes his hand tighter and clears his throat. Frankie has had some daydreams about scenarios like this but never in them has Zach asked if it makes him gay if he’s in love with Frankie.

Frankie’s heart is in his throat and he’s trying vainly to slow it and lower his expectations but he can’t. He falls fast and hard and he’s long past the point of rational thought. 

Zach’s grip doesn’t loosen while Frankie tells him that he doesn’t think so, but it might make him less than 100 percent straight.

When Frankie asks if that means he’s in love with him, Zach just answers with a defeated yeah but it’s the best thing Frankie’s heard in a long time.

Frankie turns to look and Zach and tells him he’s glad. Zach blushes and rolls over and buries his head in Frankie’s chest.

 

It’s not an easy couple of days. Frankie practically has to water board Zach to get him to admit with words that he’s sexually attracted to Frankie and it nearly dissolves into several more fights before they get there. Frankie is taken back to age 18 and immediately forgives him when he sees how shaky Zach looks after finally admitting it with words. There’s more conversation about sexuality labels and grayness and even an anal sex discussion that really highlights their 7 year age difference and makes Frankie feel like a high school health teacher. 

But it’s worth it when Zach looks around and pecks him on the lips one day before getting out of the car with a string of giggles and the biggest smile Frankie has ever seen on him. They just had dinner and Frankie hasn’t been trying to pressure him, but he’s pretty sure Zach thinks he was just on a date with Frankie.

 

Zach’s heart has been beating so fast the past few days that Zach thinks it might take a few years off of his life. He knows he’s always been a bit manic, but this is something else entirely. Any time he mentions Frankie or thinks about him, which is a lot more than he’s ever realized before, his heart speeds up. And that’s nothing compared to what happens when Zach sees Frankie because now that he’s admitting that he has very intense feelings for Frankie, he gets this weird ball of anxiety sometimes when Frankie smiles the right way because it reminds his that he is literally fucked if Frankie leaves him. 

Not to mention the fact that un-repressing some of his more physical feelings for Frankie has opened up a floodgate of other heart palpitations which are only exacerbated by the constant flirtation from Frankie and the new ways he’s allowing himself to touch Zach. He places these closed mouth pecks on Zach’s temples and neck and biceps and they’re nearly completely innocent on the surface but Zach can’t help but feel like they’re promises of more to come, placeholders almost, and that practically turns Zach inside out.

It’s only been days but by the time they finally share a real kiss, the build up is too much and it moves pretty fast from there. 24 hours later and Zach is pretty sure he doesn’t have anymore virginities left and that he’s not 100 percent straight. It is what it is.

 

His mom yells at him when he comes home from work a few days later because he’s in a magazine and didn’t tell her. The two tiny pictures are from a few days ago. Zach went to dinner with Frankie and his family before Ari left. Zach is so pumped. It’s awesome. Even if Zach is pretty sure the one from inside the private room of the restaurant is going to get somebody fired.

And then his mom says his grandma called about it, asking why Zach is in a magazine with some singer and why it says that Zachary has a boyfriend. And that’s not as awesome.

One photo is Ariana after stepping out of the car but Zach is in the background and had just grabbed Frankie’s hand. The other is a picture of the table. Zach is sitting back and has his arm around Frankie’s chair. They turned towards each other and Frankie has his hand in his hair, insisting on trying to tame a fly away if Zach remembers correctly. Their smiles both look giant.

And right below them is a blurb about Ariana being home in Florida for the death of her grandfather and going to dinner with family. Including her mom Joan, grandmother, brother Frankie and his boyfriend.

Zach kind of wants to laugh because how ridiculous is it that he is being gossiped about in a magazine along a superstar, but his mom doesn’t look like laughing.

Zach isn’t sure why he never told his family about Frankie’s family. He told them about the youtube thing because he couldn’t help but brag about Frankie’s combined million followers, but he felt like the Ari thing was a test and he really didn’t want to fail it.

Zach just tries to stay casual and says that yeah, that’s Frankie’s sister Ari. And his mom stares at him like he has 3 heads.

Zach tells her that it wasn’t his place to tell them. She nods quickly like she’s brushing that part of the equation off. 

She says that the pictures make it look like they’re boyfriends.

She doesn’t look mad, just really confused like she’s been looking at him for the last month. Zach thinks about the things that he and Frankie don’t talk about with words like the city that’s waiting for him and a label for themselves and a label for Zach, and why they’ve never kissed outside of Frankie’s car or house yet. 

Zach umms for a few seconds and then finally says that he thinks they might be.

His mom surprises him and is more curious about the might be part instead of the boyfriend part. There’s an awkward conversation that she calls his dad in for and its the most uncomfortable thing that Zach has ever done but it doesn’t go terribly which is all he could ask for. Frankie tells him he’s proud of him when he calls him later which is the best feeling.

 

There’s still a lot of questions.

Frankie hints that there are a lot of Thai restaurants in NYC. 

Zach still doesn’t know what to call himself.

Frankie worries that his regular life will be too hectic for Zach.

But they both feel like they have a lot more answers to life than they did when they started the summer, so they both feel like they win.


End file.
